Family Matters
by Between-A-Dream
Summary: This is not really an AU, just focuses on those times where things were happy and good for Cosima and Delphine and will not mention much of the plot. This will more so focus on them and their growing family. Some chapters may be rated M.
1. Cat Person

Cosima was _not_ a cat person.

It was something that everyone who knew her was well aware of and something that Delphine had figured out quite early on in their relationship.

"They're terrifying," she had told her once when explaining herself, "And they're only eight pounds so they seem cute and cuddly but they're evil. They could kill you in your sleep in you're not careful. And did you know that cats eat your face when you die?"

Of course, Delphine had found this to be a bit extensive for hatred of an animal, especially one she herself had always found to be exceptionally cute.

"Oui, I did know that cats have a tendency to uh... Dispose of human remains, ma chérie, but you do know that cats are practically incapable of killing a human, right?"

"That's just what they want you to think! Have you ever seen a Maine coon cat? Those things are the size of people!" Cosima had known she was exaggerating, but she didn't want to back down, and she sure as hell wasn't going to.

Naturally, the French woman dropped the issues after that anyway, and it generally hadn't been hard to accept that her dreadlocked girlfriend disliked the furry creatures. Despite the fact that Delphine found them adorable, they weren't her favorite animal, and neither they nor anyone they knew owned one, so it was an easy enough thing to cope with.

Easy enough, that is, until the day when, pulling into the DYAD parking lot, Delphine came face to face with Scott cradling a bundle of fur in his arms.

"Delphine!" he called to her from across the parking lot and the blonde was quick to make her way to him, sensing tension and worry in his voice.

"Scott? What is it? Did something happen? Is it Cosima?" the blonde's thoughts instantly went to her brunette girlfriend who had already arrived at work earlier that morning, and her mind was immediately racing with all the possibilities that she could think of that could have happened to the brunette scientist.

"What? No, no Cosima is fine. Delphine, it's this little guy I found. Look!" Scott opened his arms to reveal the smallest kitten the taller woman had ever seen.

It was covered in caked-on dirt, but Delphine could still see a few patches that were clear enough to determine that the kitten had white fur. His eyes were a bright icy blue, and his mouth a clean pink. He mewed softly, only blinking his eyes open every so often, and rolled in Scott's arms as if trying to get comfortable. Delphine had never seen anything so small in her life.

"Where did you find it?" she asked, her eyes not leaving the bundle of fur and dirt.

"Just outside the building. I was walking inside and I saw him curled up under some leaves. The poor little guy was all alone, and I couldn't leave him there, so I picked him up and then I saw you pulling in. Do you think you can you help me clean him up and run some tests on him?" Scott questioned, obviously worried about the kitten.

"Of course, here I'll take him," Delphine wasn't sure if it was her desire to help Scott or her desire to actually hold a kitten for once in her life, but she wanted to regardless, and as Scott placed the kitten in her arms felt her heart swell as she cradled him to her chest.

"Come on little guy, lets get you all fixed up," she stroked him gently behind the ears and he purred lightly, though his shaking didn't cease and Delphine quickly led Scott inside.

* * *

When Cosima decided to make a surprise visit to her girlfriend in her lab, she expected to see the blonde doctor bent over the table, probably reading over some research or examining some new bacteria.

Cosima was ready for that.

She also expected to see Scott, and though she would give him a friendly hello, she would also be quick to make sure his presence was unnecessary and unwelcome, for she had "plans", as she would call them, for her and her lover.

Cosima was ready for that as well.

What the clone was _not_ ready for, however, was to walk in and see said girlfriend and Scott leaning over a table and cooing over a baby demon.

"Bonjour!" she announced her presence as she entered the room with a smile, but her facial expression quickly changed to curiosity when she saw the state that Delphine and Scott were in. The blonde woman smiled and turned to face her girlfriend.

"Bonsoir, mon amor," she greeted Cosima with a light peck on the lips before walking back to the table.

"What's everybody looking at?" the shorter woman questioned as she followed her. When she saw the kitten lying in the middle of the table, she shrieked in surprise and jumped backwards, almost falling on the floor but managing to catch herself at the last moment.

"Delphine, why is that little monster in here?" she cried, backing away slowly and only taking her eyes off the kitten for a few brief moments to glare angrily at her lover.

"Awe come on Cosima, look at him! He's just a little thing!" Scott held up the newly cleaned off kitten up to her, and she scooted back more, keeping her hands up to keep it as far away from her as she could. "Look how cute he is!"

"I don't care how cute it is, it won't be cute for long! It'll grow up to have teeth and claws and it'll scratch you and kill you and you won't even see it coming!" Cosima hissed.

"Cosima, Chérie, I-"

"No don't you "Chérie" me! Get that thing out of here right now!" the clone demanded, not allowing the French woman to finish her sentence.

"Cos, we found him outside all alone, he was shivering! Can't we just take care of him?" Scott pleaded.

"Sure, in your own lab and as far away from me as possible."

Delphine sighed and nodded to Scott to leave and take the kitten with him, knowing that the dreadlocked American would not back down on her stance. He nodded back and picked the bundle up, carrying him off down the hallway.

"That's better," Cosima nodded in confirmation and Delphine rolled her eyes with a small chuckle as she sat down beside her lover on the couch.

"What is it with this hatred for cats mon amor? I mean, I'm not a fan of seafood, but you don't see me attempting to banish it from existence," the French woman giggled a bit and Cosima sighed.

"I just... I just don't like them okay?" Cosima turned away and Delphine frowned, running her hands over the brunette's shoulders.

"You don't have to talk about it, I'm just curious as to why you're brilliant little mind is scared of an eight pound creature, or in our case one who probably weighs about a pound and a half," the French woman explained, wrapping her arms around the shorter woman and pressing her lips against the back of her neck. Cosima sighed and leaned back into the touch.

"When I was little, I didn't have many friends. And my parents felt bad, so they adopted me a cat. It was really mean and I was terrified of it. It clawed me and hissed at people and one time it bit me and I thought I was going to get cat rabies and die. I hated it, and ever since then I've just had a thing about them," she admitted, her face flushed with embarrassment. Delphine couldn't help but start to laugh, a response to which Cosima spun around quickly.

"I'm sorry Chérie," she giggled. "It's just... You're adorable," as she continued she leaned down to peck her quickly on the lips. "I'm sorry," she apologized and the American sighed.

"No I just... I'm sorry I overreacted. I just never got close with cats. Every time I see one, I just feel all those scratches again," she explained.

"Well, this one is just a baby. He couldn't scratch you if he wanted to. You should meet him, he's really the sweetest little thing," Delphine stood and held out her hand in question. Cosima hesitated, but she slowly reached out and took it, and together they walked down the hallway to find Scott.

* * *

"Scott? Can we come in?" Delphine called through the door as she knocked. The door opened a few moments later and the man looked between the two of them curiously. Cosima nodded and he smiled, stepping aside to allow them inside. Delphine was quick to approach the small bundle of fur, now fully restored to his glowing white color. His eyes were more open now, and though he still looked small he seemed to be eating well from the bowl of crushed up food Scott had provided on the lab table he was on.

"Hello you," Delphine giggled as she knelt down and scratched the kitten behind the ear. "You're looking well."

"Yeah, he's doing a lot better now that he's all cleaned up and warm," Scott informed them proudly. Cosima hesitantly approached the table, and she stared at the bundle of white fur. He looked up at her and mewed softly, twitching his ear. The brunette seemed tense and looked as if she would jump back at any moment.

"You can pet him you know," Delphine's voice made he jump, and she took a moment to calm her nerves before turning her attention back to the kitten on the table. She reached her hand out carefully, but as the kitten turned to look at her she retracted slightly. It was only when he turned that she again gained enough confidence to touch the bundle of fur.

As Cosima's fingers trailed delicately over the kitten's back, he immediately began to purr and he leaned into the touch. Cosima froze, staring at the cat in fear, then looking to Delphine for confirmation. The blonde smiled and nodded, and the shorter woman resumed stroking the small bundle of fur. A small smile grew on her face and Delphine grinned. She gestured to Scott to get his attention then pointed at the door, and the two slowly exited the room, leaving Cosima alone with the kitten.

* * *

An hour later, when Delphine had finished her work for the day, she decided to check up on the kitten that Scott had found. When she entered the room, she was pleasantly surprised to find Cosima asleep on the couch, with a small bundle of fur sitting peacefully on her chest and pawing curiously at one of her dreadlocks. Scott stood nearby, his nose buried in his research, but he smiled when he saw the French woman.

"How did this happen?" she asked in amusement.

"Found them this way. I decided not to disturb her," he laughed and the blonde nodded in appreciation. She made her way over to her lover and grinned.

"Cosima? Mon amor, heure de se réveiller," she whispered, and she watched as the brunette slowly woke from slumber. Upon seeing Delphine's face she smiled and reached a hand out to cup her cheek. Unfortunately for the kitten on her chest, her arm brushed him aside and he tumbled down off her body to the couch below.

"Oh! Sorry Eskimo!" Cosima's words surprised both her girlfriend and the scientist standing off to the side.

"Eskimo?" Delphine looked at her lover in question, who blushed bright red.

"Well... I uh... Sorta named him," she admitted sheepishly. "I hope that's okay!" she added quickly. Delphine giggled and leaned down to kiss her.

"It's wonderful. Hello Eskimo," she couldn't keep from laughing at the name Cosima had picked and she stroked the ball of fur behind the ears. Eskimo purred and nestled into her touch, and Delphine's smile only grew.

* * *

Later that night, as Cosima slept with her arm's around Delphine's waist and the blonde's arms around her neck, she was disturbed by the feeling of small paws walking up the length of her body. When she blinked her eyes open, she was met with a pair of bright blue ones and a soft "meow". Smiling, she scooted over to allow Eskimo room to settle down between the two of them.

Even in her sleep, a soft smile grew on Delphine's face, and Cosima felt her heart surging with love for the both of them.

"Congratulations babe. I'm officially a cat person."


	2. Cat Pictures And See-Through Robes

Cosima's position on the couch was one of her favorites to be in. Delphine was beside her, her arm draped casually over the clone's body as she rested her head in the French woman's lap.

Her knees were sightly propped up so Cosima could still look at her laptop without having to strain her neck. It was work stuff, and the brunette knew her lover was working on the same or similar information, but she didn't mind work when it happened like this. She could feel the blonde gently stroking her fingers through her dreadlocks and she highly appreciated the touch.

Letting out a small but happy sigh, Cosima leaned over and pressed her lips against the back of Delphine's hand before intertwining it with her own. The taller woman smiled and squeezed her hand back, leaning down to press a kiss against her forehead for a brief moment.

Delphine couldn't hold back her yawn, and when she looked outside she could see it was getting dark.

"Cosima, mon amor? We should call it a night. It's getting late," she pointed out. When Cosima looked outside it confirmed Delphine's words, and she groaned.

"I can't stop now. I really have to get this work done. The faster we do the faster we have some kind of cure, or at least the bandaid brand version," she mumbled, looking back at her laptop screen.

"I know Chérie, I know, but you're no good to any of us if you're so tired that you can't work, come to bed," the French woman set her laptop on the coffee table and closed it before she leaned down and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. It was everything Cosima had not to lean into the touch, but she resisted.

"Delphine, I really need to work on this," she protested, and the blonde sighed. "Half an hour, and I promise I'll call it quits for tonight," she promised, turning her head so she could make semi-eye contact with her lover.

The blonde nodded and leaned forward to kiss her for a few moments before standing and allowing Cosima to find a new position on the couch.

"I'll wait for you to come to bed," she promised, and with that she turned and walked into the bedroom.

Five minutes had passed with no interruptions, when suddenly Cosima's phone went off. Her mind quickly went to Sarah, Alison, or Felix, and she was sure there was bad news on the line, but she quickly remembered they used specific phones to talk about clone business, so even if it was any of the people who she questioned about, she knew it wasn't official business.

When Cosima did look at the text however, she was thrown when she saw it was from Delphine. Curiously, she opened the text to see a picture of her girlfriend, with a small bundle of white fur on her shoulder, and somehow the French woman had managed to snap the photo at a perfect moment where Eskimo looked up at the camera, and still managed to catch herself in a brilliant smile. Cosima laughed and shook her head, then set her phone down.

Another ten or fifteen minutes went by without any disturbance, until the clone heard her text tone yet again. Rolling her eyes playfully, she opened her messaging app to find three new pictures. One was just of Eskimo, the growing kitten buried under a mass of blankets and poking out his head, one was again of the two of them, with the cat now cradled in her arms, and one was mostly of Delphine, but with the small tip of a white tail in the top corner.

"This isn't funny," Cosima called out, something to which she neither expected nor received any response.

A few minutes later the brunette heard light footsteps and turned to see Eskimo walking toward her. In his mouth he carried a small scrap of paper. She laughed and shook her head, but a moment later he was sitting in her lap, purring and nudging her hand. She took the paper and unfolded it to see a sentence scribbled out in Delphine's calligraphic writing.

"Self sleep deprivation can lead to insomnia, night terrors, and narcolepsy mon amor."

"How Delphine has managed to convince you to do her bidding is beyond me," she grumbled, and she began stroking her fingers over the kitten's body. It wasn't long after when She heard the shower running and she groaned, tilting back her head.

Cosima forced herself to stay focused on her work, but the shower seemed to go on for a much longer time than she knew to be necessary for the French woman. She was well aware of what Delphine was attempting to do, and it took all of Cosima's strength to ignore her charms.

When she finally heard the shower turn off, she braced herself, knowing that was not the end of Delphine's torture. However, when she saw the blonde walk out of the shower, no amount of planning could have prepared her for the sight she was given.

Delphine was clothed. Barely.

Draped over her body and barely covering the most revealing pair of laced underclothes she owned was a translucent robe, one that hung off the blonde's petite frame as she waltzed innocently through the kitchen and the brunette didn't remember either of them owning.

Cosima could see her skin, but with the robe as a barrier she couldn't see it clearly, which even though nothing was truly exposed drove her crazy.

The French woman said nothing as she stopped at the fridge, opening the door and spending a painfully long time with her back turned to her lover. When she finally decided on a bottle of water, she turned and offered an innocent smile to Cosima. The dreadlocked girl watched as her girlfriend made her way back into the bedroom, and a few moments later Eskimo jumped off her lap and followed, his paws barely making a sound as he made his way across the floor.

Cosima let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and turned her attention back to her laptop, but it didn't keep her mind off Delphine. The information on the screen jumbled together until they were nothing more than a simple mess of letters and numbers. When she heard her phone go off, she nearly jumped out of her skin. Turning her attention to her phone, she opened the text with caution.

"Are you sure you don't want to come to bed mon amor?"

Below the caption was a picture that convinced Cosima to shut off her laptop and make her way into the bedroom as quickly as possible.


	3. Choices

The fact that she was even here, standing in the middle of WalMart at 3:00 A.M., just to satisfy her pleading girlfriend's hunger, was ridiculous. And if it had been anyone else, Delphine was quite sure she'd have told them, in a painfully polite French way, to piss off.

But, because this was Cosima she was talking about, and because ignoring her would've been an exponentially more painful fate, there she was, freezing her ass off as she walked through the store wearing the most comfortable pair of clothing that she could still call clothing and didn't yet cross the line between clothes and pajamas.

She could still hear her lover's voice in her head.

 _Flashback_

 _"Delphine?"_

 _The French woman was scarcely sure she heard her name, but it woke her anyways. She listened carefully, waiting for a sign that she had indeed heard correctly, but after giving it a few moments and not hearing anything she was about to go back to sleep._

 _"Delphineeeee?"_

 _She definitely heard it that time, as this was louder and stretched out longer._

 _"Yes, mon amor? What is it?" she turned over to look at Cosima, studying her features through the dark and her blurry eyes for any signs of worry._

 _"I'm hungryyyy," she wined. It took a moment for the words to register, and when they did she let out a small laugh._

 _"Chérie, we do have some food left over," she pointed out._

 _"Nothing good though. And most of it is full meals," the American woman groaned, letting her head fall to the pillow with a loud sigh. Delphine giggled softly and ran a hand over her back._

 _"Well I'll make sure I pick you something up today at the store, alright?" she promised, but Cosima shook her head._

 _"I can't wait that long for food!"_

 _"Check the pantry then, there has to be something," Delphine was already pulling the sheets back up over her body. She felt the bed dip as Cosima slowly drag her body out of bed, not without a long stretch of groans in the process, and heard her make her way to the kitchen._

 _About five minutes had passed and Delphine was nearly asleep again when Cosima shut the pantry door in frustration, rather loudly, she noted._

 _"There's no food in here!"_

 _Of course the blonde loved Cosima's voice- She honestly did love everything about her- But at 2:37 A.M. listening to her voice echo loudly throughout the walls of the apartment, and when she could barely keep her eyes open no less, made her cringe._

 _"Cosima, mon amor, can't you wait until later?" Delphine groaned, burying her head under her pillow._

 _"Noooo, Delphine I'm dying here!" Cosima jumped back into bed and wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist. She removed her head out from under the pillow to see the brunette's lip poked out in a pout. Sighing, Delphine set her pillow down._

 _"Is it really that bad?"_

 _The only answer she received was a small whimper and she groaned._

 _"Fine, I'll go to the stor-" before she could fully get the word out, Cosima squealed happily and leaned forward and kissed her._

 _"Thank you thank you thank you! I love you!" the brunette giggled and Delphine rolled her eyes as she stood and changed her t-shirt to a sweater._

 _"Je t'aime aussi, you brat."_

 _End Flashback_

Despite her current mood, the French woman couldn't keep back a small laugh at Cosima's behavior. She may have been brilliant, but at heart she was a mere child.

Delphine's blonde hair had been thrown up in a messy bun. She wore a pair of old sweatpants that she no longer knew whether she or Cosima were the original owners, and a maroon colored sweater with white stripes over the sleeves.

Around her feet were a pair slippers that almost looked like moccasins, but she was quite sure that one of the only two cashiers of the night noticed by the look she gave her as she cast her eyes downward at her feet.

The other, a young teenage boy, was sat a few isles down and was preoccupied with his phone in hand, and as she entered the store Delphine made a mental note to make sure to check out in the register with the woman.

The woman who, even though looked ready to pull out her hair if one more thing went wrong in her life- Or in the next hour, whichever came sooner- Seemed to be the more responsible looking of the two.

To stay the building was cold was an understatement. Despite her sweatpants and her sweater, the only food that she knew would appease her dreadlocked girlfriend were the Eskimo pies in the frozen foods isle, and seeing as she had woken less than half an hour ago, her body was still prone to being exceptionally sensitive to the cold air.

"Merde," she muttered under her breath, already seeing wisps of cold air emitting themselves from her lips as she approached the frozen foods and pulling her arms closer around her body. "You owe me big time, ma Chérie."

It was as she was walking towards the isle, however, that she passed an isle of cat food, and she remembered that Eskimo hadn't eaten the day before because they hadn't yet gone to the store.

Delphine really had planned on going to the store later in the day, but Cosima wouldn't take no for an answer.

But now that the thought crossed Delphine's mind, she realized that the poor kitten must have been starving, and for at least an hour before she had managed to fall asleep she had been hearing his small cries of hunger and scratching at their door.

Feeling her heart swell at the memory, Delphine wondered if cats were allowed to eat ice cream. She wasn't too familiar with the studies, only knowing that dogs couldn't eat chocolate, and she was sure the rules applied similarly to cats. And, to her misfortune, Delphine found that the only flavor of Eskimo pies that were currently available were ones with chocolate in them.

She was well aware she didn't bring enough money to pay for both, and she knew that running home would be another half hour of wasted time.

She still intended on getting a few more hours of sleep, and she was barely awake as it was, so forcing herself to wake up enough to drive three more times on the exact same route would definitely be enough to ensure she didn't sleep again that night.

Delphine wasn't sure how long she stood there, but she jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Excuse me, miss?"

The blonde whipped around to see the teenage boy standing behind her, and she shook her head quickly to clear her thoughts.

"Um, yes?" she asked, slightly flustered.

"Do you uh... Do you need any help? You've been standing here for ten minutes," he asked after an awkwardly long moment of silence.

"Oh, non, I'm fine, thank you," she promised quickly.

"Okay, let me know if you need help," the boy had already turned back to his phone and was already walking away, but Delphine appreciated the gesture. She decided that maybe the teen was the way to go during check out after all.

Delphine sighed as she turned her attention back to her thoughts. Keep Cosima from ripping off her head, or keep Eskimo alive. It was a pretty obvious choice, even if it was slightly exaggerated, but she knew that whatever choice she made would make someone unhappy. Groaning, Delphine turned down the isle.

* * *

Despite what she had come to think, the woman would have probably been the way to go after all. Delphine had to wait for the boy to finish his phone call before he would check her out, and when the woman saw her approaching his isle she had excused herself and walked off to God knows where.

So, for ten minutes Delphine stood there, waiting for the boy to hang up with his mother, which didn't happen until his phone died. When it eventually did, it took another two or so minutes for him to figure out how to break a twenty, until she finally offered her own calculator on her phone.

So now there she was, forty five minutes later, finally walking into the apartment, thoroughly exhausted.

"Finally! That took you nearly an hour! You didn't get caught in traffic or anything did you?" Cosima's voice could be heard as she walked out of the bedroom, but she trailed off when she saw that Delphine was not holding her requested snack, but rather a bag of cat food in her arms.

"Um... I do hope you don't expect me to eat that," she giggled and Delphine sighed.

"Je désolé mon amour, but he hasn't eaten since yesterday, I couldn't let him starve," the French woman apologized before grabbing his bowl and pouring some of the cat food in. At the sound, a small mew could be heard from across the apartment and Delphine saw a bundle of white fur running over and pawing at her ankles. She giggled and set his bowl down, to which he instantly began eating.

"I hope you're not mad," the blonde offered, and Cosima looked between her girlfriend and the kitten before letting out a giggle. Delphine smiled and the dreadlocked woman made her way over to her lover before wrapping her arms around her neck and pressing their lips together.

"Aren't you just a big softie," she teased, knowing that Delphine was blushing even through the dark.

"Well, out of respect for choosing to put Eskimo first, I feel like I owe you a reward. But, because you didn't buy me any food, I think you also should be punished," Cosima's words ghosted over the French woman's ears and she shivered as the brunette pulled her to the bedroom. And an hour later, Cosima was no longer so hungry.


	4. Lucky Chance

"Christ," Cosima muttered as she rounded a corner that led her onto the same street that she had turned onto three other times by now.

Driving was never something she enjoyed anyways, especially in an unfamiliar place at night when she had yet to find any building that was open.

But Delphine was visiting family in France for the week, and along with the brunette's extraordinary loneliness, she was left in charge of taking care of Eskimo and taking care of their weekly shopping. And besides, she was the one who had pushed for Delphine to visit her family anyways.

 _Flashback_

 _"Come on! They obviously want to see you!"_

 _Currently, Cosima was busy on her laptop sitting on the couch, while the French woman worked on dinner in the kitchen across the room._

 _"No, they obviously want to feel less guilty about making my childhood a living nightmare. I can't even believe we are having this conversation Cosima," Delphine scoffed._

 _"We're having this conversation because you're refusing their outreach," the brunette sighed._

 _"I don't want to fly out of the country for an entire week just to visit people I barely know anymore," Delphine protested, letting out a frustrated groan as she dropped a glass of water. "Merde!" she cursed loudly, running a hand through her hair. "I'll just send the ticket back. No harm, no foul."_

 _"What? No! Delphine, come on, you need to see your family," Cosima set down her laptop and made her way over to the kitchen, placing her hands on the blonde's shoulders to keep her in place. It took a moment, but eventually Delphine stopped struggling and sighed, relaxing into the touch._

 _"You should go. It'll be good for you. Obviously they care enough to buy you a ticket, right?" Cosima pointed out._

 _"Money has never been an issue in my family mon amour. They could have bought the Eiffel Tower if they wished," the blonde sighed._

 _"So what? Delphine, I know what it's like to not have anyone to call family. It's not fun," Cosima reached out and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind Delphine's ear._

 _"I have a family. You and your sisters. Felix. Eskimo. S and Donnnie. I don't need my parents," Delphine seemed stubborn, but seeing the look in her lover's eyes she sighed, feeling a twinge of guilt in her heart. "But... If it really makes you happy, I'll go," she promised and smiled as Cosima's eyes lit up._

 _"Good," she grinned, leaning forward and pressing her lips against Delphine's. "And just to show you that I appreciate your efforts," she continued, ghosting her lips over the French woman's ear and smirking when she felt her shudder, "I promise I have a surprise for you when you get back."_

 _End Flashback_

Cosima chuckled softly at the memory, but her good mood slowly faded as she continued to drive in circles. Normally, on the occasions when she did drive, she at least had Delphine to guide her, and she rarely drove outside of their neighborhood.

But the supermarket that sold the only kind of cat food that either woman felt comfortable feeding Eskimo with was nearly an hour outside their home town, and Cosima was sure by the looks of the neighborhood she was currently in that she had taken a wrong turn somewhere. The scientist glared at her GPS who had taken her the complete wrong direction.

"I knew I should never have bought you," she snarled, knocking the small computer over in frustration. "Where the hell am I?" Her question was aloud and to no one in particular, and she had yet to see any signs that would indicate her location.

Groaning, the American woman pulled her car over to the side of the road and stepped outside for some air. She opened her phone, briefly smiling at the background picture she had of the picture Delphine had sent her of herself with Eskimo on her shoulder, but her smile quickly faded when she realized she had no signal. Letting out a low hum of anger, she let her head fall to the top of the car. After taking a few moments to calm down and collect her bearings, she lifted her head. As she looked around, Cosima noticed a small building across the street, the first she had seen with the lights on.

The only sign on the building was a blue, poster sized board with a chalk like drawing of a cat and a dog. Despite the lack of advertisement, it intrigued her. It was probably a bad idea to leave her car alone in a place she didn't know, but Cosima needed to find someone who could tell her where she was and how to get out, so she crossed the street carefully after making triple sure the car was locked.

As she opened the glass door to the building, the unmistakable smell of animals hit her nostrils and she winced slightly at the scent and at the brightness of the fluorescent lights above her. When her eyes adjusted to the light, her vision cleared to reveal a much larger room than Cosima had anticipated. She was standing in the middle of what appeared to be an animal shelter.

It was not a typical set up with cages and metal bars, instead more of what appeared to be a free range of sorts. The room was divided into sections where different animals resided, with toys and blankets in each area. There were cats, dogs, aquariums of fish, birds, and rabbits. There was also an area in a separate room that Cosima could see medical equipment in through the open door.

"Hi! Can I help you?"

The voice startled Cosima, and she turned to see an older looking woman with a long auburn colored pony tail standing beside her, a friendly smile on her face and cradling what appeared to be a Samoyed puppy in her arms. It had the appearance of a baby wolf, but the fur was a bit longer and a cream white color.

"Oh, I uh... Hi, I'm not from around here, I think I'm actually kinda lost, I was wondering if you had any directions," she admitted with a small laugh of embarrassment.

"Oh sure! Hold on, I'll go get Mark, he knows this place like the back of his hand," the woman smiled and set the puppy in her arms on the floor. It didn't move, instead curling up by Cosima's feet and pawing at her shoelace.

"Hey there little guy," she smiled, but she dared not pet the animal, knowing that if he was in a shelter he most likely had a reason, and she didn't want to possibly cause it harm. He was smaller than she would've liked, and although she was not an expert on dogs she was well aware that he was most likely malnourished by the way his ribs were partially visible through his cream colored fur.

"Hi there!" a younger man with black hair and blue eyes- Cosima could only assume this to be Mark- Called to her as he walked out of the back room wearing a doctor's coat and a pair of gloves.

"Hi," the dreadlocked woman offered a smile back.

"So I hear you're in need of some directions?" he asked and she nodded.

"Yeah, my GPS seems to think that it can just take me anywhere," she laughed and Mark nodded with a chuckle.

"Yeah, I've definitely run into that problem a few times. Hey there bud, what are you doing?" the taller man laughed as he bent down to pick up the puppy still pawing at the shoelace on Cosima's boot. "If you want, I could see if there's anything I can do to fix your GPS for you?" he offered.

"Really? That would be great!" Cosima nodded quickly in appreciation.

"No problem! I'm assuming your car is the only one on the street?" Mark chuckled and the American woman laughed with a nod, unlocking it through the door. "Feel free to look around or play with some of the animals if you'd like, all the ones out here are up for adoption," he smiled and set the puppy back down, and the brunette nodded.

"Ah Mark. Always the helper," the older woman, who strangely reminded Cosima of S, laughed and shook her head. "Well, since we haven't quite formally met, I'm Elise," she smiled and held out her hand.

"Cosima," the scientist responded and shook her hand back. "So what is this place? Is it like an animal shelter?"

"Sort of. We are also an adoption center. We have a team who goes out and searches for animals, and back here Mark and I take care of them. But we don't believe in keeping caged animals, we feel it confines them, so we let them have a bit of space. Even in the back where the medical center is, we allow each animal to have a small area to themselves out in the open," Elise explained.

"Oh cool! You have a really nice set up here," she complimented and Elise smiled.

"Thank you sweetie. Would you like to look around? All the animals here are extremely friendly," the auburn haired woman stepped back and allowed Cosima a better look around the room, but it didn't take much to keep her attention on the cocker spaniel at her feet.

"Can I hold him?" she asked, and smiled when Elise nodded in permission.

"Hey there little guy," Cosima grinned as she picked the dog up, watching as he instantly curled into her chest. "So why is he in here? Where did you find him?" she questioned, scratching him just behind his ear.

"He actually was brought in to us by his owners. They couldn't keep more than one of the puppies that their dog had, but they were worried about his size. He is quite small for a Samoyed," she explained. "But, he seems to be doing well, and we've been happy to have him," Elise continued, running a hand over his stomach.

"He certainly is a cutie," Cosima chuckled, running her fingers over the dog's body.

"Well, he does need an owner still, would you be interested?" Elise's questioned surprised the scientist.

"Oh, god, well I-" before she could finish, she heard the door open behind her.

"Well it looks like you just had a loose wire, but you should be all good now," Mark smiled as he walked inside.

"Great, thank you so much!" Cosima hugged him with a single arm for a brief moment and he laughed.

"It's no trouble. Hey there snowball," he grinned as he looked at the ball of white fluff in the brunette's arms. "Are you thinking of adopting him?" Mark asked excitedly. "He really needs a good home."

"Well, I..." Cosima trailed off. She had always wanted a dog, ever since she was a kid, and she was well aware that Delphine loved dogs as well. But to adopt one without her knowledge was something that pricked in the back of her mind and forced her to think about the decision. After thinking for a few moments, her eyes trailed to the puppy in her arms, curled against her chest with his paw against her hand, and she felt her heart swell with love.

"Yeah, I'll take him."

* * *

Delphine smiled as she stepped off the plane. The visit with her family had gone surprisingly well- With her parents having changed a great deal since they had last spoke and even offering to come and visit some time so they could meet Cosima. They were thrilled to find out she was so happy with her, and though the blonde knew they had a ways to go before they were a true family again, it had been a good experience and she was glad Cosima had persuaded her to go.

Despite this, it felt good to be back in America, and when the doctor's eyes landed on her girlfriend across the room, she couldn't contain the smile on her face. Cosima grinned as she crossed the room and hugged the French woman tightly.

"I missed you," her words came out in a slight mumble due to the way Cosima had her lips pressed against Delphine's shoulder, but they were coherent and the blonde nodded.

"I missed you too mon amour, so much," she leaned down and kissed her lover for a few brief moments. When they did part, Cosima grinned.

"Come on, I have a surprise for you," she giggled. Delphine blushed and the brunette faked a gasp. "Delphine Cormier, you and your dirty mind!" she teased, causing the blush on her girlfriend's face only to deepen. She led her to the car and, to Delphine's surprise, got in on the passenger side.

"You're... Driving?" she asked in surprise.

"Yeah, I've kinda come to enjoy it," Cosima grinned. Delphine laughed and shook her head before getting in the passengers seat, taking the American woman's hand in her own.

"Our GPS is actually working?" she questioned, seeing the scientist reach forward and press a button on the small computer.

"Oh yeah, I got it fixed. It actually was by accident, I may have gotten lost in the way to the grocery store and I met these really nice people in this random neighborhood and uh... Well that all kind of has to do with you surprise," Cosima tried to explain, laughing through her words.

"Um... I sincerely hope you don't intend to do anything sexual with these random people?" Delphine teased, which earned her a playful smack on the arm.

"No, this is better. Promise. But, if you're up for a threesome sometime, I could always give Shay a call?" Cosima's words earned her an even harder and slightly less playful slap on her own arm.

"Brat."

"Bitch."

Both women sat in silence for a few moments before loosing control of their giggling.

"I've missed you Chérie," Delphine laughed as she squeezed the brunette's hand in her own.

"Missed you too dork. Missed you too."

* * *

When Cosima opened the door to the apartment, she had at least expected to have at least a small amount of time to explain why there were now two white fluff balls running through their shared space instead of one, but as soon as the door was opened she was greeted with the sound of high pitched barking. Delphine looked at her in question and she let out a nervous laugh.

"Uh, well I had an introduction planned, but I guess I can't really say anything about this that you can't figure out on your own. Delphine, this is our new puppy," Cosima admitted with a sheepish grin as the dog came running out from the bedroom. The French woman looked at her lover incredulously, then down at the puppy pawing at her feet.

"You adopted a dog?" she asked, a surprised but amused grin on her face.

"Well, those 'nice people' I met that fixed the GPS? They owned animal shelter and while Mark fixed it I spent some time inside. I was looking around and this little guy was there and... I just couldn't resist. Are you mad?" Cosima asked, her face that of a child caught stealing cookies. Delphine stood for a moment, then laughed and shook her head.

"Non, I'm not mad, just a bit... Surprised? And amused," she explained with a reassuring kiss. "What did you name him?"

"Nothing, yet. I figured since I named Eskimo you could choose the name," Cosima shared a smile with the French woman.

"What kind of dog is he?" Delphine asked, bending down to scratch him behind the ears.

"A Samoyed," Cosima ran her fingers over the top of his head as she answered.

"Hmm... What about Chance?" the blonde doctor suggested after a few moments. Cosima liked the name, but she was curious as to its origin.

"Chance huh? Cute. How'd you think of it?" the scientist questioned, picking the new addition to the family up.

"Well, the GPS led you to him by chance, which also means luck in French. It's a double meaning," Delphine explained with a smile.

"You're so cute," Cosima teased, scratching Chance on his stomach. The dog barked happily, but a few moments later the moment was interrupted by annoyed mewing and pawing at their feet. Both women giggled as Delphine bent down to pick up Eskimo.

"Don't worry little one, we didn't forget about you," she promised as Eskimo made himself comfortable and began to pur. Both the scientist and the doctor smiled at their small family.

* * *

A few hours later- No one really knew or cared how late- Cosima lay comfortably on the couch, wrapped up in her girlfriend's arms. Delphine ran her fingers absentmindedly through her loverMs dreadlocks, and she heard the brunette let out a content sigh before snuggling closer.

The muted TV provided the only light in the room- Neither one paying much attention to the screen anyways- And despite knowing that they would have to get up for work in the morning, and that sleeping in the living room would give at least one of them back pain, they were too content with each other to move from their positions on the couch.

And besides, sitting in the middle of the couple were two sleeping bundles of white fur that neither one would dare disturb from their slumber.


	5. English Kissing And Babysitting

Cosima's scoff of disapproval was the first thing that had caught Delphine's attention in awhile. Currently, they were spending some free time together before Kira came over that night. The couple were to be in charge of babysitting her, and though Delphine was nervous, she was sure Cosima knew what to do. Her arm was draped around her brunette girlfriend, and she had been enjoying the comfortable silence between the two. Chance sat at their feet, his head rested on his white paws.

Delphine felt bad that they could take him out and not Eskimo, and every time they went for a walk she made a mental note to give the growing kitten extra attention when they returned home. December air whipped around the couple, but despite the cold, the French woman was quite comfortable wrapped in her fur coat and snuggled so close to her girlfriend.

"What is it?" she asked, blinking a few times to clear her thoughts and look around the area. Cosima didn't answer with words, instead gestured to across the path where a young couple were busy in a full on make out session. Delphine couldn't help but laugh at the face the shorter woman made. "What, that bothers you?"

"Out in public, with their tongue's down each other's throat? Yes, very much so. They could at least have the decency to do that somewhere else," Cosima grumbled, shaking her head as Delphine giggled.

"It doesn't bother you?" the dreadlocked woman asked, looking back at her lover who still bore a smile on her face.

"Actually, mon amour, it's quite common in France to see things like this. This is mild compared to some areas, especially in the cities," she explained, to which Cosima stared at her incredulously.

"You're serious." It came out more like a statement than a question, because the scientist wasn't sure she really wanted to ask.

"Yes, France and America are quite different in regards to personal space and public affection. Even in my hometown, seeing couples like that wasn't uncommon," the doctor squeezed the brunette's hand and she shook her head.

"I mean I'm all for having fun with who you're dating, and kiss how you want, whatever, but not everyone wants to see it," she grumbled.

"English kissing isn't even close to the worst of it," Delphine giggled, planting a brief kiss on her lover's cheek. Cosima opened her mouth to speak, then hesitated for a moment.

"Did you just say... English kissing?" she asked when she cleared her thoughts.

"Um, yes? You know, kissing with tongue?" the blonde explained, confused by her girlfriend's question. The dreadlocked woman started giggling.

"You mean a French kiss?" Cosima asked with a laugh.

"Actually Cosima, it's called an English kiss where I'm from," Delphine couldn't hold back a smile at the amusement that the shorter woman was receiving from the term.

"No no no, that's not even... I don't... No, in my mind an English kiss is that little double cheek thing that you European people do," the brunette laughed.

"You're such a dork," the French woman giggled, leaning down for a quick kiss before standing and holding out her hand.

"Come on, let's get home, we should get ready for when Kira arrives, and we can settle this later," she continued with a grin. Cosima rolled her eyes playfully and took her outstretched hand, keeping their fingers interlocked as she stood as well and holding Chance's dog leash in her other.

"Well hey. As long as there's practice involved, I don't really care what we call it," Cosima teased, earning her a playful shove from the doctor beside her.

* * *

Hours and decent amounts of practice later found the two women wrapped up together under their bedsheets, Delphine's arms secured tightly around Cosima's nude waist. The French woman had been sleeping soundly until a small weight landed rather harshly on her chest and arose her from her slumber.

Mumbling something half French, half English, and too unintelligible even for herself to grasp, she blinked her eyes open to come face to face with Eskimo. Attempting to be gentle, she pushed the kitten off her chest and to the side of the bed before nudging him to the floor. As she did so she felt Cosima stir beside her and watched as the brunette rolled over to face her.

"Mm... Morning Dr. Cormier," Delphine loved Cosima's voice when she first woke up. There was something sensual and dark about it that the blonde doctor found incredibly attractive.

"Good morning yourself," she chuckled, leaning down and expecting a kiss in return. Instead, the scientist giggled and rolled over out of reach, standing up with her back turned to the blonde.

"Sorry Dr. Cormier, I'm not that easy," she teased, turning slightly to grin with her tongue caught between her teeth and causing Delphine to blush madly.

"You know, it's not very chic to leave your partner alone in bed," she pointed out as she rolled onto her stomach while the scientist pulled on an old t-shirt.

"Chic?" Cosima raised an eyebrow as she turned to eye the blonde. Kneeling down on the bed, she could see her lover's cheeks flush red and she giggled. "Aren't you just full of cute little French terms today," she laughed. She leaned down and pinned Delphine's hands to the bed as she kissed her, something to which the doctor hated to interrupt, but the moment before she closed her eyes she caught a glimpse of the clock.

"Merde!" she gasped, quickly sitting up and pushing Cosima off her body. "It's already 4:30! Kira and Sarah will be here in half an hour!" she stood quickly as the brunette quickly looked at the clock in panic.

"Shit," she muttered, jumping up to follow her girlfriend and make herself look decent before her sister and her niece arrived.

* * *

Because she heard the knock at the door at exactly 5:00, Cosima was sure that Siobhan had tagged along with Sarah and Kira to make sure they are on time. There were many things that the older woman was, but late was never one of them. Sure enough, when the scientist opened the door wearing a pair of leggings with a skirt over them and a black tank top with white jagged patterns that cut off a few inches below her chest, she came face to face with Sarah and Kira, Siobhan and Felix standing behind them.

"Hey guys, come on in," the scientist greeted her sister with a brief hug before she was knocked back when Kira jumped into her arm. "Hey monkey," she grinned, hugging the girl tightly to her chest.

"Hi auntie Cosima!" Kira giggled happily.

"Alright, here's a change of clothes for her for bed, and bedtime is 9:00 little missy. Don't you try to get them to let you stay up late," Sarah informed the 8 year old, who nodded understandingly. A few moments later, after Delphine gathered her courage and took a few deep breaths, she made her way out from the bedroom.

"Hey Delphine," Felix greeted, to which she offered a nervous smile.

"Hi," she tried to make her voice louder, but it still came out as a nervous, breathy laugh.

"Alright, well we'll be gone for a few hours, but if you need anything call," Sarah informed Cosima. The dreadlocked woman nodded and waved goodbye to the three adults as the exited the apartment.

"Hi Delphine!" Kira smiled at the French woman, who gave a smile back. Despite her nervousness about Felix and Sarah, she did enjoy the little girl's company, from the little of it she'd had before.

"Alright monkey, whatcha wanna do first?" Cosima asked, sitting on the couch and pulling the girl with her into her lap.

"Oh, can we play that video game you and uncle Felix play all the time? The one with the zombies?" Kira asked, to which the brunette let out a nervous laugh and Delphine giggled.

"Um, I don't think your mama would be very happy with me if I let you play 'Chop Till You Drop'. Why don't we find a board game to play instead?" the scientist suggested, to which the younger girl nodded eagerly. "Alright, you two wait here, I'll be right back," she smiled before standing and walking into the back room.

"Do you speak French?"

The question took Delphine by a slight surprise, and she chuckled.

"Um, yes, I do," she laughed.

"That's so cool! Can you say something?" Kira looked up at her eagerly, hope pouring from her gaze in a way that made it impossible for Delphine to say no.

"Okay, um... Je suis ravi de passer la nuit avec vous," she grinned after a moment of thinking.

"What does that mean?" Kira looked enthralled, but as the French woman opened her mouth to explain, Cosima walked back in the room with a stack of boxes on her shoulder.

"Alright ladies, I have Life, Sorry, Monopoly, Clue, and Candy Land, take your pick," she dropped the boxes on the table and sat down next to Delphine, taking her hand in her own.

"Can we play Monopoly?" the younger girl asked quickly.

"Sure monkey, as long as you know how to play," Cosima smiled.

"I do!" Kira promised. The scientist nodded and set the other games aside as she opened the box for Monopoly, Kira watching excitedly the entire time.

* * *

Half an hour later, Kira was beating both women easily, owning twice as many properties as either of them had combined and still possessing more money than either of them. At first, they had been taking it easy on her, not buying every property they landed on and giving them to her for small prices in auctions, but even after they started trying, they couldn't catch up with her.

"So. You've definitely played before," Cosima groaned as she handed over another $200 to Kira for landing on a railroad. The child giggled and nodded.

"When Mommy was away me and uncle Felix played it all the time," she explained proudly. "But you still should be able to beat me. Even Delphine is beating you, and she's from France! Money doesn't even work the same there! You must be really bad at this game!" Kira giggled, to which Delphine couldn't keep back a laugh and Cosima stared at her with mock offense.

"Alright, well I'm gonna make a sandwich, you two brats play for a minute," the American woman laughed, making her way to the kitchen. After a few moments, she walked back in. "We have no bread. Or peanut butter. Or clean silverware. Or dish soap," she listed with a sigh.

"Oh, well I'm going to the store tomorrow," Delphine informed her.

"No, it's okay, I'll go now. You can handle yourselves for an hour right?" Cosima asked, already pulling on her coat. When seeing the look of terror that crossed the blonde's face, she sighed. "Hey monkey, can you go get me my wallet? It's in our bedroom," she asked, watching as the young girl stood and ran into the bedroom.

"Hey, Delphine, you'll be fine," she assured the doctor, kneeling down to eye level.

"I... I'm so scared Cosima, Sarah and Felix already don't-" she was cut off by the feeling of the scientist kissing her for a few brief moments.

"Sarah and Felix are coming around. And what better way to get on their good side than have Kira like you? Which she already does, might I add. Come on, you'll be okay," with that Cosima pecked her cheek once and stood, just as Kira emerged from the bedroom.

"Thanks monkey," Cosima ruffled Kira's hair as she handed her the wallet. "Alright, I'm off, see you two soon!" she called as she made her way out the door, letting out a deep breath and praying that Delphine would really be alright alone with Kira.

* * *

"Do you love auntie Cosima?"

The question was the first one out of Kira's mouth, and it scared Delphine to death. Did the 8 year old know of their relationship? If she did, how much did she know? How much had Sarah and Felix found appropriate to tell her? Then again, Felix was gay, and she seemed to know about that, so maybe she did know.

"Um, yes. Very much," she answered finally. Kira smiled, and seemed satisfied with her answer. There were a few brief moments of silence before she spoke again.

"Are you gonna get married?" Delphine could feel the burning in her cheeks.

"Well, hopefully someday," she answered after a moment.

"Good. You and Cosima are cute together," Kira swung her legs happily over the side of the couch, humming quietly to herself. The French woman didn't know what to say. What could she say? Before she could even begin to wonder, Kira's attention was somewhere else.

"Do you play piano?" she asked, her eyes drifting over to the small keyboard on a stand in the corner of the room. Delphine laughed and shook her head to clear her thoughts for a moment.

"Yes, I learned when I was about your age back in France," she explained, walking over and sitting in the chair behind the keyboard. Flipping the switch on, she ran her fingers lightly over the keys, watching Kira's eyes light up at the sound.

"Can you teach me to play something? Please?" she begged, climbing up on Delphine's lap. The contact surprised the older woman, but after a moment to recover she nodded.

"Yes, yes, what do you want to learn?" she asked, shaking her head quickly.

"Something French!" Kira giggled, which brought a bright smile to the blonde's face.

"Alright then. Something French."

* * *

An hour later, Cosima curiously approached the door to her apartment, hearing what sounded like music coming from the other side. When she opened the door, she couldn't keep back her smile. The couch and coffee table were pushed to the edges of the room and over the loudspeaker was a French pop song. And standing in the middle of the room were Kira, wearing a red beret over her head, and Delphine, both dancing to the beat.

The French woman was the first to notice Cosima presence and she quickly stopped dancing, laughing as her face flushed red.

"What do we have here?" Cosima giggled, closing the door behind her and setting her bags down.

"Delphine and I were dancing! French is so cool! Oh! Delphine can we show her? Can we?" Kira's words came out faster than either woman could comprehend at first, but when they sank in Delphine grinned and nodded. Cosima watched curiously as the two sat at the keyboard and the blonde switched it on.

Delphine started playing a rather simple melody, Kira staring at the keys as she did so. A few moments later, the French woman nodded and Kira began to play as well, and the melody became much more complex. It was still quite simple, especially on Kira's part, but watching the pair made Cosima's heart swell. When they began to sing, she could hardly believe it.

"À la claire fontaine m'en allant promener J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle que je m'y suis baignée.

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, jamais je ne t'oublierai sous les feuilles d'un chêne, je me suis fait sécher. Sur la plus haute branche, un rossignol chantait.

Chante, rossignol, chante, toi qui as le cœur gai. Tu as le cœur à rire. moi je l'ai à pleurer.

J'ai perdu mon ami sans l'avoir mérité,  
Pour un bouton de rose que je lui refusai. Je voudrais que la rose fût encore au rosier, et que mon doux ami fût encore à m'aimer."

When the song ended, Kira smiled and threw her arms around Delphine. The blonde was clearly surprised, but after a moment she cleared her thoughts and hugged her back, holding her close to her chest. Cosima, genuinely impressed with both Kira's ability to learn the song so quickly and with Delphine's ability to teach it, sat across the room with her mouth hanging open,

"You guys, that was awesome!" the scientist laughed, running over and wrapping her arms around both her girlfriend and the young girl. "Oh god monkey you did so good!" she squealed, hugging her tighter. Kira grinned and hugged back tightly, and Delphine could only laugh.

"Wow, you're gonna have to show your mom when she comes to pick you up!" Cosima released her grip on the pair and smiled. "Can you show me again? That was amazing!"

"Yeah! Come on Delphine!" Kira sat waiting eagerly for the French woman to begin, and as she did, she shared a knowing smile with Cosima, who sat back down on the couch watching excitedly.

* * *

Until Kira yawned, the room had been silent. Cosima was sitting on the couch, her knees propped up to hold her laptop as she caught up with some work. Delphine sat across from her, her nose buried in a book that Scott had lent her. Kira was siting on the floor, playing with a few of her dolls that she had brought with her.

"Tired monkey?" Cosima asked, looking up from her laptop.

"No," the younger girl shook her head in protest, but as she did so, she yawned again, and the scientist chuckled, raising an eyebrow. "Well, maybe a little," she admitted with a sheepish grin.

"Why don't we get you into bed, it's late and your mom won't be here for another hour or so," Cosima suggested, setting down her laptop.

"Okay," the 8 year old agreed. "Delphine, will you come too?" she asked, looking up at the French woman. She looked up in surprise, then set her book down and nodded, following them into the bedroom. The dreadlocked woman picked Kira up and laid her down on the bed, offering her a few blankets and pillows.

"Do you need anything?" Cosima asked as she stood.

"Delphine, can we sing that song again?" Kira asked after a moment of thought.

"Um, yes, of course," the blonde smiled and sat down on the bed next to the girl.

"À la claire fontaine m'en allant promener  
J'ai trouvé l'eau si belle que je m'y suis baignée.

Il y a longtemps que je t'aime, jamais je ne t'oublierai sous les feuilles d'un chêne, je me suis fait sécher.

Sur la plus haute branche, un rossignol chantait..."

Before they could get any further, Kira's eyes had closed and she had fallen fast asleep. Delphine stayed motionless for a few moments, admiring the girl's sleeping form. Cosima smiled at the sight and leaned down, wrapping her arms around the French woman's body from behind. Leaning back into the embrace, Delphine turned and placed a kiss against the brunette's jawline. They stood and walked out of the room silently, closing the door behind them.

* * *

It was 11:36 when Cosima heard the knock on the door. Knowing it was Sarah, Felix, and Siobhan, she stood, giving Delphine's shoulder a squeeze before answering.

"Hey guys, how was your night off?" she asked as she opened the door to reveal three visibly exhausted adults. Well, two exhausted, one looking moderately energized.

"Long. I'm so ready to never do that again," Sarah groaned, leaning against the doorframe.

"Oh come on now sis, we have plans for next week!" Felix teased, earning him a less than playful shove backwards.

"How was Kira?" Siobhan asked, giving the two younger adults a stern gaze before returning her attention to the couple inside the apartment.

"She was great. She's asleep right now, want me to wake her?" Cosima asked. Sarah shook her head.

"No, I'll get her. Thank you guys for watching her, really," the brunette smiled at her sister before walking into the apartment and into the bedroom. Felix and Siobhan stepped inside as well, and Delphine set down her book to look up at them in greeting.

"Please tell me you didn't attempt to cook," Felix asked as he smelled the air, still lightly reminant with smoke.

"Uh... We did try to make spaghetti," the scientist admitted with a sheepish grin.

"God Cosima, it's pasta. How the hell do you burn water?" the artist groaned. Delphine giggled a bit.

"Even if it's scientifically impossible, she can manage to do it. Good or bad," she chuckled, smiling when she saw Felix laugh and nod in agreement.

"Bye guys!" Kira's tired voice came from behind them, and everyone turned to see Sarah walking out, the younger girl in her arms.

"See ya later monkey," Cosima smiled, ruffling her hair lightly.

"By auntie Cosima! Bye auntie Delphine!" Kira's words made the French woman freeze in her place. Cosima smiled and gave Sarah a side hug with one arm, kissing Kira's cheek before pulling away.

"Goodnight everyone, drive safe!" she instructed.

"See you guys," Siobhan waved them goodbye as they carried Kira out the door. When Cosima shut it, she turned to see Delphine still sitting in shock.

"Auntie Delphine, huh?" Cosima grinned, making her way over to the blonde.

"I... I didn't think she..." she trailed off and the brunette laughed.

"I told you, she likes you. You should learn to trust me more Dr. Cormier," the scientist raised an eyebrow and smirked, causing Delphine to blush.

"You're such a brat," she giggled. Cosima smiled and nodded, sitting down next to the doctor and wrapping an arm around her.

"I am. But you know? I'm a brat who _loves_ English kissing," the brunette giggled, causing Delphine to burst into laughter as well. When she managed to keep herself under control, she grinned at Cosima.

"Oh yeah?" The scientist nodded in response, causing the French woman to smirk.

"Prove it." So she did.


	6. Dance Party

Cosima giggled as she scrolled through Delphine's music. Over half of it was in French, and despite knowing a few words that she had picked up on over the course of their relationship, she couldn't read any of the song titles. Downloading the music onto her computer had been an easy but strenuous task, if only for the fact that she was on a time schedule and she wanted the night to be perfect.

Both the French woman and herself had been working more than usual due to the increased expenses with dog and cat food/care, and Cosima decided they needed a night off. Not that she minded spending more to make sure that their growing pets were always happy and healthy, but the stress had been getting to them both. So, in an attempt to help them both relieve some tension, the dreadlocked woman had arranged for Sarah and Felix to watch the animals for the night.

Cosima knew that they both could use a night off, which was why their living room was currently in the state that it was. The furniture had been rearranged to make a large space in the center, with lit candles around the perimeter and wine on the counter. A French pop song stood on standby ready to play in the background, one that Cosima had heard her girlfriend listen to often enough to recognize the melody, and one she had grown to like herself.

Knowing that Delphine would soon return home, the scientist did a once over of the living room, making sure everything looked perfect. She waited until she heard the unmistakable sound of the blonde's lock in the door to press play on the song, and she watched as the door opened.

"Bonsoir ma-" Delphine started as she opened the door, but was cut off when she took in the sight in front of her. Cosima's tongue sat teasingly between her teeth and as she grinned, mischief sparkling in her complexion, and she made her way over to her lover with a catlike strut. Delphine bit her lip and set down her purse, not daring to take her eyes off the brunette.

"So... What's all this?" she asked, risking a few seconds to look away and take in the sight of the room.

"Well, I figured we deserve a night off from work. And from taking care of Eskimo and Chance," Cosima explained. She wrapped her arms around Delphine from behind and slid her coat off, trailing her lips up the length of her neck. The blonde let out a breathy laugh, mostly to conceal a moan, and simultaneously tilted her head sideways to allow the scientist more access to her skin.

"Come dance with me," the words were not an offer, and Delphine was in no mood to disobey, so she quickly followed her lover to the center of the room, a devious grin on both their faces.

* * *

Music echoed through the walls of the apartment. As words foreign to Cosima and familiar to Delphine drifted over their ears, they danced without care or reason. They stayed close enough to each other and the center of the room that worrying about any candles being knocked over weren't an issue.

At some point Cosima had removed her shirt, and henceforth had begun the stripping. As the dancing continued, so did the removal of different articles of clothing, until both women were in nothing but a bra and underwear. Both were laughing through the entire length of every song, and by the time an hour of music, grinding, and kissing had passed, they were breathless.

Cosima was the first to give in to her exhaustion, collapsing on the couch in a heap of giggles and heavy breathing. Delphine laid beside her, and as they made eye contact they stimulated another round of laughter.

"That... Was fun..." the blonde managed to get out between breaths. Cosima nodded and grinned, leaning over and pulling Delphine on top of her. She leaned up and wrapped her arms around the taller woman, pulling her into a kiss. The doctor accepted happily and her lips were hungry against Cosima's. Her tongue was in the brunette's mouth before she actually made the conscious decision to do so.

"The... Music is... Still on," Cosima managed to get out between kisses.

"It's... Gonna need... To stay on... Don't want... Neighbors... To hear."

Cosima stopped talking after that.

Delphine dragged her tongue down the side of the scientist's neck, emitting from her throat a loud moan. When she felt the blonde's teeth sink into her skin, Cosima's moan turned into a half laugh, half gasp. She gripped at the back of Delphine's hair with one hand and with the other she dragged her fingernails over the French woman's back.

Delphine eventually moved from her neck down to her chest and she reached behind Cosima to unfasten her bra. It was off quickly and within seconds the blonde's tongue was swirling over her lover's nipple.

"Delphine!" Cosima gasped loudly, throwing her body upwards. She gripped tightly to the doctor's skin, digging her nails deeply into her back. The French woman hissed in pleasure and sucked harder at her breast. With one hand she gripped a fistful of Cosima's dreadlocks, and with the other she ran her fingers over the brunette's stomach. Delphine flicked her tongue against Cosima's skin, a satisfied smirk crawling over her lips when she heard a loud moan that quickly turned to a whimper.

"Please Delphine," she begged, her voice shaking as she clawed relentlessly at the French woman's back. Delphine grinned, but she didn't answer her girlfriend. Instead, she bit down gently, causing the scientist's breathing to hitch. She bit harder, smiling at the reaction of shudders she received in return. "Fuck Delphine... Please," Cosima whimpered, hissing at the contact. It was hard for the blonde to resist anyways, so she decided to give her lover what she wanted.

Leaning down, she pressed a kiss just below Cosima's stomach, letting her lips linger for a few seconds before removing the brunette's panties. Delphine was slow in spreading her legs and even slower in trailing her tongue across Cosima's clit. The shorter woman squeaked loudly at the contact and grabbed at her lover's hair, emitting a satisfied laugh from within her throat.

"Please what, ma chérie?" Delphine gave a sly, innocent grin, her eyes glistening with laughter. She slowly encircled her tongue around her lover's clit, enthralled with satisfaction as she watched Cosima squirm under her touch.

"Please stop... You're teasing..." the woman underneath managed to get out, her voice cracking between both pauses. Giggling, Delphine decided to give the clone what she wanted. Slowly, she wrapped her lips around Cosima's clit and watched the brunette's eyes rolled back as she let out a loud moan. The French woman dragged her teeth gently over the delicate skin, watching as the shorter woman quivered under her touch.

Pinning Cosima's wrists, Delphine swirled her tongue over the length of the opening between the clone's legs, grinning as she listened to her pant.

"Everything alright, mon amour?" the doctor purred, letting her hands slowly trickle down the front of her lover's body.

"Peachy," Cosima growled, clenching her teeth and biting her lip as Delphine continued to let her tongue trail over her skin. As the tip of her tongue slid just between the scientist's lips, Delphine stopped, using her tongue as a guide to slide her way up to Cosima's ear. She bit down hard on her earlobe, pulling it a slight bit as she watched her lover grip at the couch below her.

"Patience, mon ange," Delphine murmured, her voice sultry in her girlfriend's ear.

"I don't have patience," Cosima pointed out, to which the taller woman grinned. Deciding that she had kept the clone waiting long enough, she leaned back down and spread Cosima's legs, thrusting her tongue hard inside her.

The yelp of pleasure that the brunette let out was more than enough encouragement to continue, and she swirled her tongue inside Cosima softly at first, then more forceful as she continued. Her tongue was rough against the scientist's skin, and she loved every part of it.

"Fuck Delphine... Don't stop," she pleaded, her breath turning to panting and going faster by the minute. Heat continued to build with the friction between Delphine's tongue and Cosima's skin, and she knew that she was close. "Please... Delphine... Keep going," she stuttered, biting down hard against her lip. She could feel her toes curling and she clenched her hands into fists as Delphine sped up her pace.

Cosima clawed at her girlfriend's back, knowing she would leave scratch marks and being too preoccupied to care. She could feel her center burning, and with a final flick of Delphine's tongue, she felt shockwaves rippling through her body like lighting.

Delphine smirked, and she left a slow, wet trail up the scientist's body as she made her way to her lips. When they kissed, she wrapped her tongue around Cosima's, hooking one leg around her waist and pulling her closer. The kiss ended when the need for oxygen was finally greater than their will to continue, and they kept their foreheads pressed close together.

Cosima gave a mischievous grin, her eyes sparkling as she rolled the pair over and pressed her lips against Delphine's neck. The blonde let out a moan, and the clone giggled deviously, biting at the skin against her neck.

"Get ready babe. That music might not cover everything."

* * *

Two hours later, when the music had finally come to an end and both women were physically and mentally exhausted, they laid in their position on the couch, naked and covered in sweat. Delphine had Cosima lying on top of her, their legs and arms in a tangled web of limbs, their hair out of place and their lips dark with bruises. Cosima could feel the rise and fall of the French woman's chest, and she leaned up to press a kiss to the hickey mark she left on her neck. It left a taste of salt in her mouth, but she didn't mind.

"I love you," she mumbled into Delphine's skin, nuzzling her nose against the taller woman's neck.

"I love you too ma chérie," the blonde cooed, letting her fingers comb gently through her lover's dreadlocks. "I'm glad we took the night off," she continued, instigating a small giggle from her partner.

"Yeah. If you can call that a night off. I'm not exercising for a week," Cosima grinned, shifting her weight slightly to position herself more comfortably.

"Like you exercise anyway," Delphine teased, earning her a playful swat on the arm. The clone let out a content sigh and left a trail of delicate kissed down the length of the French woman's collarbone.

"Do you think the music was enough to hide all that screaming?" Cosima grinned devilishly. Delphine laughed.

"Maybe mine. That second time you got pretty loud," the doctor giggled.

"Well next time I'll make sure the music is louder," Cosima promised, offering a sincere smile. Delphine nodded and smiled back, pecking her lips once briefly.

"Yeah. Next time."

And somehow, both women were sure that there would be a next time.


End file.
